“We remain a true team: beyond tasks, meetings and releases, there’s always space for board games, workshops, bar nights, karaoke and great conversations,” says Yana Korzhenevskaya, Head of HR at Space307.
Founded over 11 years ago, the company has grown from a small startup into an international fintech, developing software for liquidity providers, financial and payment institutions. Korzhenevskaya goes on, “This blend of freedom, trust and authentic energy is usually the first thing people mention when they talk about working at Space307.”
The fintech has operated in Limassol since 2017 and the city has become a launchpad for its growth. “This is thanks to its international community, supportive ecosystem for tech companies and access to talent who share our product-driven mindset,” she notes. Space307 now employs just over 100 people locally, with nearly twice as many working remotely across Europe and Asia. The headcount has remained broadly stable in recent years, reflecting the company’s belief that optimisation and prioritisation matter more than growth for its own sake.
The Limassol office was designed as an adaptive workspace, with modular zones for focused work, collaboration and rest, supported by smart lighting, ergonomic workstations and well-designed common areas. “The open spaces, meeting rooms, call booths and outdoor areas are all conducive to natural and effortless interactions among team members. Our internal surveys show that employees find the office more inspiring and comfortable, supporting a culture of innovation and open dialogue,” she notes. This year, Space307 received Great Place to Work® Cyprus certification, based on an anonymous survey that assessed trust, respect, fairness, pride and unity. “This shows that the culture we’re building truly resonates with our people,” she adds.
At Space307, there are no strict rules or convoluted bureaucratic systems. Employees can influence processes, launch new projects or even suggest merch. “We believe in the right to make mistakes, because a negative result is still better than no result and experimentation is an essential part of growth,” she says. There is no upper limit to development – vertically, horizontally or diagonally – with courses, internal mentoring and conferences fully supported. “What matters most is that the path they choose benefits the work and inspires the individual,” she adds. “We’re confident that when our people grow, our products grow faster.”
Open-source contribution is at the heart of Space307’s philosophy. The company sponsors Effector monthly, an open-source state-management and business-logic library for front-end applications, and publishes its own solutions. In earlier years, it supported some of the building blocks that helped shape today’s application interfaces. “Countless libraries and frameworks exist because people chose to share their ideas,” she says. “We consider it our responsibility to support that ecosystem.”
In February, the fintech launched Data Space Meetup for local data science professionals. The first event gathered about 40 participants to discuss industry challenges like A/B testing, alternative analysis techniques and improving annotations with LLMs. The next Meetup explored multilingual datasets, autonomous AI agents and RAG in support workflows. “These conversations often continue long after the presentations, which is exactly the point. People don’t just want to hear about the latest innovations; they want to exchange ideas with like-minded peers,” she argues.
Work-life balance is treated as a principle rather than an abstraction. To highlight the point, the fintech rolled out a colour-coded collection – purple for work and green for personal life – ranging from a frisbee and phone lanyard, to Kölsch-style beer, a long-sleeve shirt and hats. “These are small reminders that balance isn’t something you stumble upon but something you create daily,” Korzhenevskaya explains. Flexibility shapes daily operations, supported by competitive compensation and a strong focus on wellbeing. Employees also have a ‘choose-your-own-benefits’ budget for personal development, from gym memberships to language lessons. “What makes us stand out,” Korzhenevskaya stresses, “is this combination of freedom and responsibility, our contribution to the ecosystem, the way we treat people and a culture of authenticity – one we actually live every day.”
(Photos by Giorgos Charal.)
This interview first appeared in the December edition of GOLD magazine. Click here to view it.
